The mountain pass entrance.
Under the gray fog, a Skeleton Axe Warrior dragged a heavy axe, wandering aimlessly among the corpses.
The surroundings were eerily silent, with only the sound of the axe scraping the ground and the chewing of the Walking Dead, while a chilling wind howled by.
Suddenly.
A vine appeared out of thin air, surfacing at the skeleton's feet.
Before the skeleton could react, its feet were bound, and with a "bang," it fell to the ground, then was swiftly dragged out of the pass, followed by the sound of bones shattering.
"Well done."
In the mist, Lin You softly praised the Poison Vine Flower beside him.
The Tier Three Poison Vine Flower had vines that could extend over twenty meters, making them difficult to detect in the fog.
Using this ambush tactic, he had already killed a dozen Skeleton Walking Dead, nearly clearing out most of the demons near the entrance, leaving only about twenty more inside.
After confirming no demons were near the entrance, Lin You led the Plant Legion further inside, heading toward the gathering area.
And the Walking Dead skeletons within the gathering area also noticed them, roaring and charging toward them.
"Go! Leave none alive!"
With a numerical advantage, Lin You no longer needed to hold back and directly issued an attack command to the plants.
In an instant, countless green lights appeared, as wooden thorns materialized and pierced through the bodies of the skeletons at the forefront.
The Poison Vine Flowers and Tree Spirit Berserkers didn't idle either, wildly whipping vines and swinging heavy swords, fearlessly meeting the charging Skeleton Walking Dead.
Yet the most ferocious were those three Explosive Mushrooms.
They hopped around, plucking the newly grown red mushrooms from their bodies, and tossed them gleefully.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."
The entire air shook with the blasts.
A series of violent explosions sent the leading Skeleton Walking Dead flying, some even being directly blown to bits on the spot.
[Killed Tier Three Skeleton Axe Warrior, gained 11 points of magic energy.]
[Killed Tier Three Skeleton Axe Warrior, gained 9 points of magic energy.]
[Killed Tier Three Walking Dead, gained 12 points of magic energy.]
...
In just the blink of an eye, Lin You had gained fifty to sixty points of magic energy.
The situation on the field was almost completely one-sided, with Skeleton Walking Dead continuously falling under the attack of the plants, turning into wisps of black aura drifting toward the depths of the gathering area.
Something's not right...
Suddenly, Lin You sensed something off, his brows slightly furrowing.
These Tier Three demons seemed a bit too weak.
As if they had come specifically to die!
Especially the black aura they turned into after dying, as if drawn by something, all heading in the same direction.
Could it be... a Tier Four demon?
Lin You's heart trembled with shock.
However, before he could ponder further, the ground at the deepest part of the gathering area suddenly cracked open with a "crack," and a gust of eerie wind swept through the entire pass, forcing him and the plants to retreat.
Immediately after, a massive arm abruptly thrust out from underground.
Then the head, followed by the body.
In just a few breaths, a gigantic Walking Dead over three meters tall emerged before him, its presence exuding a terrifying evil qi!
[Name: Rotting Corpse King]
[Race: Undead]
[Level: Tier Four]
[Power: 85]
[Constitution: 96]
[Agility: 70]
[Spirit: 82]
[Skills: Rotting Corpse Poison, Death Bite]
[Introduction: The king among Walking Dead, decaying everything in its wake, extinguishing all life.]
Tier Four Corpse King!
Lin You was shocked to his core, his eyes widening involuntarily.
The average attributes exceeding eighty points were three times stronger than the Tier Three demons.
He finally understood why those people had been annihilated; just facing such insane attributes would undoubtedly be lethal to any ordinary Tier Three on sight!
"Roar!"
While Lin You was momentarily stunned, the Rotting Corpse King also discovered his presence, roaring and leaping high, landing above his head.
"Not good! Scatter!"
Lin You was shocked, diving and rolling to evade.
Amid a thunderous "boom," the ground trembled violently, instantly crushing two Poison Vine Flowers that couldn't escape in time, killing them on the spot!
So strong!
Lin You's pupils shrank to their limit.
He had anticipated the Tier Four demon would be powerful, but not to such an extent.
With just a single strike, it had instantly killed two of his Tier Three species, not even allowing them a chance to heal.
No time to think, he quickly issued commands to the remaining plants: "Scatter! Attack with full force!"
While speaking, he swiftly rose, drawing a knife made from beast bone from his waist, holding it defensively in front of him.
Simultaneously, the plants coordinated with his actions, lashing out vines to bind the Corpse King, while countless wooden thorns erupted from the ground, piercing its ankles.
"Roar!"
The Corpse King roared in fury, tearing the vines apart with a strong pull, unaffected by the vines' potent poison.
Even the wooden thorns piercing its ankles were ignored, pulled out entirely.
However, this struggle provided an opportunity for the other plants.
The nearby Tree Spirit Berserkers furiously swung their heavy swords, hacking away at the Corpse King, slicing off pieces of decayed flesh.
Then the vines reappeared, entangling its legs, and extending over its body.
Besieged from all sides, the Corpse King went berserk, turning its head to bite the neck of a Tree Spirit Berserker, ripping it off and simultaneously spewing Rotting Corpse Poison at two others, enveloping them.
In an instant, the bodies of those two Tree Spirit Berserkers rapidly decayed, collapsing into piles of rotten wood.
Lin You felt a pang of sorrow.
These were all cultivated with significant magic energy, and now they were gone just like that.
Thankfully.
The Corpse King wasn't lightly injured; under the ten percent attribute boost of Lingxi's Affinity Aura, the Plant Legion gradually gained the upper hand, launching a counterattack.
Facing such overwhelming numbers, the Corpse King was left howling angrily.
After killing another Tree Spirit Berserker and two Poison Vine Flowers, its strength was finally exhausted, as vines and wooden thorns pierced through its head and chest, succumbing to the plants' collective assault.
[Killed Tier Four Rotting Corpse King, gained 25 points of magic energy.]
No time to celebrate as a notification sounded in Lin You's mind, instantly darkening his expression.
"All that effort to kill a Tier Four demon, and only this much magic energy?"
Considering he lost eight subordinates to kill the Rotting Corpse King—each one worth 20 magic energy—that equated to a loss of 160 magic energy.
What a huge loss!
Fortunately, another voice followed.
[Congratulations, you have successfully eradicated the Tier Three demon gathering area, reward: Tier Three Territory Essence x1]
Territory Essence!
Lin You's spirit was revitalized, immediately looking toward the Corpse King's corpse.
On its body, black auras swiftly converged, gradually forming a crystalline crystal floating quietly in the air.
And the crystal's information entered Lin You's eyes.
[Name: Territory Essence]
[Level: Tier Three]
[Introduction: The primary material for upgrading territory levels, condensed from the immense energy within the demon gathering area, a vital material for upgrading Tier Three territory.]
Indeed, just as the notification had said, upon eradicating the demon gathering area, he acquired the final material for upgrading the territory—Territory Essence.
Lin You was immensely thrilled, carefully taking the crystal.
With this item, he could finally upgrade his territory to Tier Four, making all his efforts worthwhile in covering such a distance.
And as he received the Territory Essence, the voice in his mind resonated once more.